Recently, ACH has been going up against some of best the wrestling world has to offer, including Alberto El Patron, AJ Styles, & Samoa Joe. Unfortunately for ACH, he lost all three of those matches. Though he did recently pick up a win over Jimmy Jacobs, he’s still looking to get on more of a winning streak. He’s taking on Mark Briscoe here in the opener. I thought this was a really good match. It’s exactly the kind of match you want kicking off a show. There was some pretty entertaining action in this one, and honestly, it’s hard for a match involving these two to not be entertaining. The only issue I had with the match is that Mark Briscoe won. Did he really need to win this match? ACH definitely needed the win more, and it’s not like a loss here would’ve hurt Mark Briscoe that much.

2.) “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs. Frankie Kazarian: ***1/4

I know he had some pretty successful singles runs in TNA, but for some reason, seeing Frankie Kazarian in singles competition is just…..weird. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. Here. he’s going up against Michael Elgin, and the match was pretty good. It wasn’t quite as good as the opener, but it was still very solid. Elgin would eventually get the win with an Elgin Bomb.

After the match, Christopher Daniels comes out to check on his partner. While his back was turned, Elgin got a chair and attacked Daniels with it! He then hit an Elgin Bomb on Daniels before attacking Kazarian with the chair.

So we have a few returns in this match. Both Tommaso Ciampa & Matt Sydal are coming off minor injuries (ribs & neck, respectively). Andrew Everett, however, is making his first appearance in ROH after spending several months on the shelf with a knee injury. Six-Man Mayhem are usually pretty crazy, and this was no exception! This match was pretty great! These guys held absolutely nothing back, and the action was crazy right from the opening bell. It was balls-to-the-walls, with bodies flying everywhere, and it was super entertaining. Matt Sydal would end up surviving all of the chaos to score the victory in this wild match!

There were two notable things that occurred after the match. Cedric Alexander, seemingly in an angry trance after the loss, shook hands with nobody and just walked out. Moose, on the other hand, wanted to shake hands, but Veda Scott prevented him from doing so.

So the issues between BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs are finally coming to head, as they squaring off in a No DQ Match. This match also has a little extra juice, as this is the last match in ROH for Jimmy Jacobs, before he heads to WWE to take a job with their Creative Team (A job he deserves, by the way). Everyone know that these two have a storied history, but in particular, their history with regards to ‘Mania Weekend is also pretty noteworthy. 2006 saw the infamous Powerbomb, where a slip on the ropes send both men crashing from the top rope to the floor. A year later, Jacobs & Whitmer seemingly ended their feud with a BRUTAL Steel Cage Match at Supercard of Honor II in 2007. While this particular match wasn’t quite as good, or as memorable, as those matches, I still thought it was a fun little hardcore brawl. These two excel in matches like this, so it was hard for it not to be at least good. People’s enjoyment of this match may vary, but aside from one or two rough patches, I thought it was totally fine. Whitmer would pick up the win in this one.

After the match, Whitmer refused to shake hands with Jacobs, and has Colby Corino attack him. Jacobs gets beaten down until LACEY comes out and saves Jacobs!! Whitmer & Colby Corino back down and leave, while Jacobs & Lacey embrace in a really cool moment. The two then leave through the crowd with The Ballad of Lacey playing.

These two have faced off a number of times in the past, and always produce really good matches. Not only was this match pretty great, but I thought it was one of the best on the show. Strong continues to be one of the most consistent performers in 2015, while Daniels, in turn, continues to prove that age is just a number. While Daniels wasn’t seemingly selling the earlier attack from Michael Elgin when he came out, he was selling it as the match progressed. He could have done a better job with that, but I’m just nitpicking. Just a very good professional wrestling match between these two. Strong would eventually get the win in this one.

We now have the first of three title matches on this show. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor makes his return to ROH, as he’s once again accompanying reDRagon for this match. It’s honestly nice to see him again. As for the match, I feel like a lot people enjoyed this more than I did. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the match was pretty good, but I’ve seen some call it “great”, and I just don’t agree. The action was very solid, but it went a little too long for my liking. At one point, Tom Lawlor picks up Maria and runs her to the back, taking her out of the match. A member of the KRD interferes and attacked Fish, but it didn’t stop reDRagon, as they were able to overcome the odds to retain their titles.

It’s always a treat to see Jushin “Thunder” Liger in ROH, and he’s come to Redwood City to challenge Jay Lethal for the ROH World TV Title! Lethal’s approaching nearly one year in his current title reign, and interestingly, The House of Truth isn’t with him at ringside. I thought this was a really good match, as you would expect. Lethal continues to be an excellent champion, while Liger continues to prove that he can still go at his age. Some

really solid action between these two. The closing stretch was especially good, with a particular highlight being Liger nailing Lethal with a brainbuster on the floor!! In the end, After some shenanigans, Lethal would hit Liger with the Lethal Injection to retain his title.

8.) ROH World Title - Jay Briscoe vs. Samoa Joe: ***¾

Samoa Joe has been undefeated since his return to ROH, scoring victories over Kyle O’Reilly, ACH, & Michael Elgin. He now gets his shot at the ROH World Title! These two have an interesting, and very violent, history. Samoe Joe successfully defended the ROH World Title against Jay Briscoe in a brutal Steel Cage Match during ‘Mania Weekend in 2004, which saw Briscoe bleed BUCKETS. This time, however, the roles are reversed, as Briscoe is the champion, and Joe is the challenger. I thought this was a really good Main Event. While it wasn’t great, these two still worked very hard. Samoa Joe deserves a lot of credit specifically, as he apparently tweaked his knee during the opening minutes. Some very good action from both guys in this one. In the end, Jay Briscoe would retain his title after hitting a nasty looking Jay Driller out of nowhere on Samoa Joe.

After the match, the two ROH Legends shook hands and embraced to close the show.

Overall: 8.0/10

I really value consistency when it comes to wrestling shows, and Supercard of Honor IX was a very consistent show. While there wasn’t a truly amazing match on here (no match, in my view at least, cracked ****), not a single match went below ***¼. Everything on the show was pretty enjoyable, to varying degrees, and that makes it a breeze to watch. Again, while there’s no match on here that you absolutely must see, I’d say this show is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a fun wrestling show that’s easy to sit through.